The War Between the Flesh and the Spirit

We are all caught in the war between the flesh and the spirit.

Since the fall, we can trace the division between the cravings of the flesh and the longing of the spirit; between instant gratification and long-lasting satisfaction; between the natural children and the children of the promise.

The War Between the Flesh and the Spirit

This tug of war started in the family line of Abraham, the father of faith. He had two sons: Isaac – born miraculously in fulfillment of God’s promise, and Ishmael – born naturally, in the flesh. Apostle Paul likens Ishmael, born by Hagar the slave, and Isaac, born by Sarah the wife, to the covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace(Galatians 4:21-31).

We trace the same pattern in the family line of Isaac and his twin sons, Jacob and Esau, fighting in the womb of Rebekah, their mother (Genesis 25:22). The lives and destiny of the brothers, and the choices they made throughout their lives, point symbolically and prophetically to the war between the flesh and the spirit.

Their story calls us to pay attention to our daily decision as New Testament believers to walk by the flesh or the Spirit; to gratify the flesh or crucify it.

It is our daily decision to walk by the flesh or the Spirit; to gratify or crucify the flesh. #walkbyfaith #Biblestudy #spiritualgrowth Share on X

It all began with one crucial decision with eternal consequences: Esau’s decision to sell his birthright.

We need to understand the importance of birthright in that culture. The birthright meant taking over the family heritage and the authority and right to be the family leader and to manage all the family possessions.

The inheritance was not only material but also spiritual, encompassing God’s special and precious promises passed on from generation to generation.

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Instant Gratification or Long-lasting Satisfaction

And here is Esau, in a moment of physical weakness, experiencing the pangs of physical hunger and craving food. Exactly then, he sees and smells the delicious aroma of the meal Jacob is cooking and asks his brother to eat. Amazingly, Jacob wants to sell him the food for an unbelievably high price- Esau’s birthright!

Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:32-34, ESV)

It is not only the moment of weakness and hunger that led Esau to sell his birthright; it is the way Esau saw the birthright and its spiritual implications, and the value he placed on spiritual things. We read that “he despised his birthright.”

To despise something means to shrink from it, to detest it, even hate it, to regard it with contempt and look down on it. Esau’s decision showed something deeper in his soul: he looked down on the spiritual things and thought they were worthless.

What mattered to him was the “here and now” and the instant gratification of his fleshly cravings. No, Esau was not an innocent victim of Jacob’s temptation, although Jacob did not have the right to treat this brother this way.

The Example of Jesus: Placing God First

A sharp contrast to Esau’s behavior is Jesus’ reaction in the desert being tested by the devil, at the moment of unimaginable hunger after a 40-day fast.

The Son of God placed God and the spiritual things higher than any instant gratification outside God’s will, obvious in His response: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, ESV)

Our Lord sets an example for us to set our minds on the Spirit because this makes the difference between life and death. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6, ESV)

When we cherish the things of God more, we cherish and treasure God more, placing the pursuit and the desire for His presence above anything else.

What Does God’s Presence Mean to Us?

Esau’s decision to sell his birthright was a decision to neglect God’s presence, which explained God’s choice and the different destinies of the twins. “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 11:12-13, ESV)

This story is a sobering warning to examine our hearts and ask the Lord to increase our spiritual hunger and make us desire and place a higher value on the things of God more than the temporal pleasures and gratification.

We can do this when we daily choose to walk by the Spirit, following His guidance and living by His power.

Increasing Our Spiritual Hunger

When we are anxious, exhausted, and in emotional pain, we often reach out for other things to comfort us and give us a moment of quick relief and pleasure. These can be food, shopping, alcohol, TV watching, or others. We know this is the wrong choice, which leaves us even emptier and guilty.

What we need is to let the Lord satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Let our daily prayer be for the Lord to increase our thirst and hunger for Him. Only then we can deal successfully with the fleshly desires. Spending more time with the Lord and focusing on things above helps us to cultivate spiritual hunger.

We can deal successfully with fleshly desires when we let the Lord increase and satisfy our spiritual hunger. #Biblestudy #satisfaction #spiritualgrowth Share on X

More Helpful Resources for You

If you need more resources to encourage and help you walk by faith and deepen your love for the Lord, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.

Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings by Hadassah Treu

Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert

Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst

Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley

Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge

All Things New by John Eldredge

Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer

Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe

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